Here’s a handy new tool to circulate to the Irish abroad ahead of the marriage referendum and in lieu of an adequate postal voting system for diaspora. Its results will be published to provide a more accurate representation of Irish voting preferences, and to express a need to Government for a postal voting system

100% Agree. This is a great idea to get a senses of how all Irish people might vote, but I’m personally against the idea of having a postal vote without some form of limitations.

4.5 mil in Ireland. I’m guessing a maximum of half can / would ever vote at a time (?). With 3 mil passport holders overseas, and 36 mil claiming Irish ancestry there is strong potential that postal votes would decide how Ireland is run. So those not hear would make the decisions. And if a handful of the 36 mil applied the ‘granny rule’ the states would more or less control Ireland fully.

The UK rule is that any citizen who has registered to vote, or would have been entitled to register were they not under age, may have a postal vote in the last constituency in which they resided for fifteen years after leaving the country. It’s a sensible arrangement that seems to work.

Very tricky – I live abroad, but am home for few weeks every Xmas. One could say, “Well, I was home for a month last summer, so technically I’ve only been abroad less than a year…” – thereby extending the 5 years to 10 or 15 or 20 years.

I completely agree – we can’t let Irish people hold on to their votes forever, 5 years sounds like plenty of time.

But Odis and Jonotti are saying that once you’re gone you’re gone. Which I think is desperately unfair, especially for lots of gay people who left rural Ireland to live a life free from intimidation in London and other big cities.

I was walking down South William St on Saturday holding my boyfriend’s hand, a group of guy in their twenties followed us down the street wolf whistling and shouted “fa**ots” as they turned the corner. This is shading my view of the world this week.

What’s “desperately unfair” about it?
Do you live here or don’t you? Its any easy test and there can be no fiddling it, (within reason).
Unless you are trying to suggest there should be one rule for gay expats and another for straight expats.

I saw a gay couple on the corner of O’Connell and Abbey Street yesterday holding hands – which was awesome, but at the same time they were clearly nervous about it and looking around in case anyone started on them.

A person could be gone 6 months never to return yet they get a say in Irish life. Another could be gone 9 years and about to return. It’s not worth bringing in thresholds for different situations. If you’re gone then so is your vote and I say this as an expat.